N7 Initiative

In the wake of the Abraham Accords signed in September 2020, the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, in partnership with the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, launched the N7 Initiative to help accelerate and strengthen normalization between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries, and to drive bipartisan support in the US for normalization.

Experts

Past events

Latest analysis

MENASource

Jul 2, 2025

Why al-Sharaa’s success in Syria is good for Israel and the US

By Itai Melchior and Nir Boms

Israel will be wise to align its policy with those who seek to integrate Syria rather than with those who seek to fragment it.

Democratic Transitions Israel

MENASource

Jun 24, 2025

Dispatch from the Gulf: Finding middle ground amid Israel-Iran war

By Allison Minor

Congressional delegation visit coincided with Israel and Iran squaring off in a direct military confrontation.

Iran Israel

MENASource

Jun 23, 2025

Pakistan is maintaining strategic clarity amid the Israel-Iran war

By Sahar Khan

Pakistan officials were quick to deny Iranian claims that Islamabad would engage in a nuclear response to a nuclear Israeli strike on Iran.

Iran Israel

New Atlanticist

Jun 22, 2025

Trump made the right call. Will Khamenei do the same?

By William F. Wechsler

The Iranian regime is in a fundamentally weak position, and it should leap at this last opportunity to save itself.

Conflict Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 21, 2025

Experts react: The United States just bombed Iran’s nuclear sites. Here’s what to expect next.

By Atlantic Council experts

Early on Sunday morning in the Middle East, US forces targeted Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Atlantic Council experts survey the fallout for Iran and for the region.

Conflict Iran

MENASource

Jun 20, 2025

Inside Cairo’s ‘security first’ calculus on the March to Gaza

By Shahira Amin

Egypt’s deterrence of the march are baffling to many, because the international initiative is in line with Egypt’s declared position on Gaza.

Human Rights Israel

New Atlanticist

Jun 19, 2025

If diplomacy and Israel’s efforts fall short, Trump should bomb Fordow to end the war

By Jonathan Panikoff

At the end of the current war, Iran will have a viable nuclear program, or it won’t. The future of the Middle East will be driven by the answer.

Conflict Crisis Management

MENASource

Jun 18, 2025

Dispatch from Jerusalem: Inside Israel’s bunkers as Iran war erupts

By Sarah Zaaimi

The stakes are higher as two opposing rhetorics about the region’s future are at play: Pan-Abrahamism and Revolutionary Islamism.

Civil Society Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 17, 2025

What comes next in the Iran-Israel war, from a US response to energy impacts

By Katherine Golden

RBC Capital Markets’ Helima Croft and the Atlantic Council’s Brett McGurk discussed the energy and security risks resulting from the Iran-Israel war.

Conflict Energy & Environment

MENASource

Jun 17, 2025

Why Hezbollah is unlikely to engage in the Israel-Iran war—for now

By David Daoud

As wave after wave of Israeli jets continue to strike Iran, Tehran’s proxy on Israel’s northern border remains quiet.

Iran Israel

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